DotCom Therapy Gets Shot at Silicon Valley VCs After Pitch Contest

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Many of the therapists on DotCom Therapy’s staff are considered full-time employees. However, Purdom says her company also has some specialized, part-time workers—therapists who speak multiple languages or can communicate in sign language, for example.

DotCom Therapy signs contracts with school districts and other clients spelling out their speech therapy staffing needs at the beginning of the school year, Purdom says. The startup pays its therapists based on the number of hours they work—typically 40 per week or slightly fewer, she says.

Asked to look five years into the future and name some of the companies that might eventually come to view DotCom Therapy as an acquisition target, Purdom mentioned telehealth specialists Teladoc (NYSE: TDOC) and American Well.

DotCom Therapy on Monday beat out Cardigan, Curate, SimpleMachines, and ThirdSpace. The results were determined by an audience vote, in combination with scores from a panel of judges that included venture capitalists from outside Wisconsin.

Last year’s “Pressure Chamber” winner was Polco, which develops software allowing cities and counties to solicit input from residents and use their feedback when creating public policy. In 2015, BluDiagnostics, a startup developing a saliva-based fertility test, took home top honors in the contest.